A Family System
by Raivis-Latvijas
Summary: Modern Day AU. Jack Morrison and Angela Ziegler are happily married, and have raised their adopted daughter, Hana, the best they can. A dark history scars the family, and threatens to come back into their lives ten years later. 76xMercy, future pairings to be explored. Perspective shifts throughout story.
1. Chapter 1

_"Only three more months and I get out of here, Jack. You know if Amelie is still around? She hasn't called or visited in a while."_

Staring through the thick glass of a prison telephone-visitation room, Jack Morrison held the phone to his ear as his incarcerated colleague spoke. The gray-haired man sighed and shook his head.

"I haven't heard from her, Gabriel. Last I knew she visited the pharmacy at the hospital to fill her prescription. Angela saw her as she passed by heading into work, but didn't speak with her. You need to be the one to contact her. I can't do every favor for you." Jack rested his arm on the table, meeting eyes with his long-time friend. They'd been in disagreement for the past ten years that Gabriel had been imprisoned, but nearing the end of the decade, Jack had decided it was enough time to put the past behind them.

 _"What do I do if she doesn't answer? Where will I go? I can't be homeless and expect to somehow get a stable life after my release."_ Gabriel glared right back at Jack, who both understood the other's concern, but also felt no need to help him after what had happened ten years ago. Amelie was Gabriel's off-and-on girlfriend, and couldn't be relied on for much. Not that she was necessarily a bad woman; simply heavily medicated due to previous traumas and severe split personality disorder.

"You'll have to find something. Understand that I can't and won't have you around my family. Hana still has nightmares to this day. She was only six when you decided to attempt to rob us, and assaulted me in the process... She's sixteen now. Sophomore in high school. But she still remembers you, and the way you slashed the knife across my face." Jack could practically still feel the sting of the gash from the left side of his forehead trailing across his nose to his right cheek.

 _"We've been over this before, Jack. You're the last man I would go to live with. But you know more people on the outside than me. I'm not asking for a miracle. I'm just asking for you to put it out there that I'm getting out in three months and that I need somewhere to live for a while until I get back on my feet."_

"Alright, Gabriel... Just remember, if no one will bring you into their home, it's your own fault. You put yourself in prison. You did the crime. Now you've done the time. You have to suffer the consequences for the rest of your life. Now... if you'll excuse me, I have to pick up Hana from school."

Without a goodbye, Jack hung the phone up on the partition wall, then stood from his chair. He was sure that Gabriel watched him every step of the way out until he couldn't see him any longer. Jack grabbed his jacket from the coat rack by the door, slipping on the ol' 76 leather outerwear and giving a nod to the officer at the exit. He made his way out to his vehicle in the barren parking lot; a beat up, dated pick-up truck. Blue in color. He liked it, though Angela insisted that he get a newer vehicle soon, should the current one discontinue its functionality.

The drive to the school Jack's adopted daughter attended was uneventful. The same streets of Hallton that he ventured nearly every day. The school, Hallton High, was an old brick building. New expansions to accomodate the growing student body were underway, though with winter closing in, they likely wouldn't finish until the next year.

Pulling up to the line of parent vehicles outside the school, Jack waited quietly, and when the bell signaling the end of the day sounded off, he braced himself for the excitable nature of his child. He'd adopted Hana when she was just an infant, and a year afterwards, married Angela Ziegler. They were a happy family, for the most part. Gabriel's assault on them was something Angela still didn't forgive. She had desperately protected Hana and attempted to shield her eyes, but she'd already seen much of her darling father's brutal beatdown. When Gabriel left, Jack remained unconscious. It was Angela's medical expertise that saved his life until paramedics arrived to take him to the hospital. All the while, Hana cowered in the corner, just a terrified child.

But now, Hana was much different. While she still admitted to the occasional nightmare, she was not the scared little girl Jack once knew. She was a ball of energy and an excellent student. She was also on the track team with her best friend Lucio. Together those two were the speediest pair in the school.

Spotting the duo as they walked out the glass double doors at the front of the school among the horde of departing students, the two didn't separate as they approached the truck.

"Hey dad!" Hana greeted, a bright smile on her face. Jack knew this was her ' _I'm going to ask you for something_ 'smile, so he raised his brows expectantly, tapping on the steering wheel with a finger.

"What is it you want, kiddo?" He questioned. Hana glanced to her dreadlocked friend, who had a kind attitude about him, though he was just as excitable as Hana when it came to... well, just about anything.

"Can Lucio come over? We're just gonna do homework then play some video games." Hana requested, clasping her hands together. "Please?"

Jack sighed. "You know I don't like having boys over at my house with you, Hana. But your mother and I will be home, so I guess it's alright. And I'll give you a proposition. Do the dishes, and you can play your games on the big TV in the living room."

Sometimes bribing your child to do chores was a handy tool.

"We'll do it! Thanks dad!" Hana chimed, leaning the passenger seat forward so that Lucio could hop in the back seats. The short young man slipped into the small seats with ease and put his seatbelt on. Hana then shoved the passenger seat upright and got in, putting her own belt on.

"So what did you do today, dad?" Hana asked. She always was curious what he did with his spare time, since he wasn't employed full-time. He was a former soldier, and worked part-time security at the hospital. Angela was a doctor, so she made plenty of money to support their family.

"Visited the prison. It's not important." Jack avoided speaking about Gabriel in detail. Lucio knew the whole situation thanks to Hana, but he didn't know Gabriel would be getting out soon. There was no doubt that the boy was protective of Hana. He was there for her almost as much as Jack and Angela were.

"It _is_ important, dad... I know he's getting out in three months... Do you really think that we'll be safe? That he won't have any resentment or anything for being locked up for ten years?" Hana was a smart child, but sometimes she had a tendency to push buttons. More often than not, they were he father's.

"Hana, I'm not going to talk to you about this right now. End of conversation." The stern man turned his eyes to the front and began the drive home. Hana backed down, Lucio sitting awkwardly in the back seat until he saw a sign at the side of the street advertising a free music festival that would be happening in a week, conveniently located at the local park. He started a conversation with Hana, whose mood changed like flipping a switch. They ecstatically talked about the local musicians who were to be playing, and Lucio rambled about dreaming to perform there himself.

Jack listened, but didn't respond unless they addressed him directly. They arrived at the house shortly, parking the truck in the driveway, overtop of the oil stain on the concrete that Jack told himself wasn't because of any problem with the truck.

Angela wasn't home yet. She'd be getting off work at 5pm. So until then it was just Jack, Hana, and Lucio in the two-story home. It was a fairly nice place. Modern furniture, sentimental decor, fresh flowers on the dining room table... Angela was quite the neat-freak sometimes, but Jack couldn't complain. He loved the woman very dearly.

Hana and Lucio went to the kitchen and sat down at the table, unloading their bookbags and starting to get to work on their studies. Jack was nice enough to walk a few feet away from the two and open the fridge, grabbing two cans of Hana's favorite drink, Mountain Dew, and setting them in front of the teenagers.

"Don't work yourselves too hard." He stated before walking out of the kitchen. He went through the living room to the stairs and walked up, admiring the picture frames that lined the center of the walls on the way up. They were in chronological order, from the days when Jack and Angela were high school sweethearts, up until the latest photo that was on a camping trip they'd taken during the summer. Lucio had come along with his mother Satya, on the rare occasion that the two actually got along. Five happy people in that photo. Jack smiled slightly and sighed, finishing his trek up the stairs.

He headed down the hall to the last door on the right and entered his and Angela's bedroom, taking off his jacket and tossing it over the bedpost. He slipped off his boots then walked over to the vanity at the side of the room. Angela's makeup was neatly organized on top of it, and there was a photo of the two of them in an old wood frame. He picked it up, reminiscing on the day it was taken. Jack had come home from deployment early, not informing Angela who at the time was still in medical school. He'd surprised her, and the photo was snapped just as she embraced him in a loving kiss, arms tossed around his neck gleefully. It was a sweet photo, and a moment he'd never forget.

Setting the photo back down, Jack peered at himself in the mirror. Blue jeans, gray t-shirt, gray hair... He certainly wasn't getting any younger at 49 years old. Angela was younger than him by a year, but still as beautiful as ever. If anything, she was like a fine wine. Only got better with age.

Meanwhile at the hospital, Angela sat in her office during a brief break between patients, cup of coffee in hand. She would be out of work in about an hour, as it was currently 4pm. She had two appointments for the rest of her day, one at 4:15, and one at 4:40. With any luck, they wouldn't last even slightly as long as the scheduled time. One was a quick check-up on one of her regular patients who had frequent heart problems, mostly due to age and the amount of stress he put on his body in the past.

That was Reinhardt Wilhelm, a bodybuilder, former soldier, and aggressively-cheerful man in his sixties. He was a good friend of the doctor's husband, mostly because he'd been deployed at the same time as Jack, though they weren't of the same job. Reinhardt had been an Explosive Ordinance Disposal Specialist. Suffered through quite a few explosions, lost sight in his left eye, given himself slight brain damage, and some moderate hearing loss... And yet he remained like the loving old grandpa everyone adored.

The second patient to address was Genji Shimada. He was an unfortunate story to tell. Nearly everything to do with this man was prosthetic. Genji's brother had crashed the car they were both in, and all four of Genji's limbs needed to be amputated. It was awful, and the burn scars left over Genji's body caused him much pain. He covered his body head to toe, and wore a scarf over his face most anywhere he went. It not only protected his frail skin, but it spared others the sight. Angela felt empathy for the Japanese man, and had been helping him adjust to bionic prosthetics for the past few years. They were prototypes, but he had mastered them nonetheless. He could write slowly, drive in the city, and do almost anything a regular person could, though at a significantly slower pace. But it was progress, and that was the reason he was coming to Doctor Ziegler on this day. Just to check on his progress and make certain everything was still doing well.

Angela sat and drank her coffee, browsing over some documents on her desk until her assistant knocked on the door.

"Mr. Wilhelm is here, when you're ready for him." She informed the doctor. Angela took a deep breath, bracing herself for Reinhardt's abrasive glory-filled personality.

"Send him in, thank you." Angela ordered, taking one last moment to straighten herself out. Reinhardt soon entered the room, broad shoulders barely fitting through the door. The silver-haired man was simply massive. Despite his years, he hadn't lost an ounce of muscle.

"Angela! It is wonderful to see you again!" The beefy German exclaimed, raising his arms for a hug. Angela stood and politely hugged the man back. Her arms barely fit around his bulging torso.

"It's nice to see you too, Reinhardt. Let's get the tests over with, then we can chat if we have time, alright?" Not that she wanted to get Reinhardt out of here as fast as possible, but she would certainly enjoy it if she were able to.

Reinhardt complied with a few tests on his cardio, and accepted the unchanged results as they were. He'd been taking his medications as usual, and had been avoiding stressors in his life. Angela glanced down at her watch; 4:43pm. A little over the time limit.

"I have another appointment to bring in, so unfortunately we can't chat. But, you're in good health. Keep doing what you're doing, and if you feel like something's wrong, always trust your gut and let me know." Angela informed, standing up from her chair. Reinhardt grinned and hugged the woman once again.

"Thanks for the checkup, doctor. Let Jack know I'd love to hear from him sometime! He always acts like such a stranger!" With that, Reinhardt headed down the hall to the exit. Angela's assistant escorted Genji into the room a few moments later, and Angela smiled warmly at the man. She dipped her head in a polite bow, and Genji did the same.

"Good afternoon, doctor." He greeted, before seating himself in the chair Reinhardt had previously sat in, adjacent to Angela's desk. It was much easier to deal with Genji's personality. He was much more calm and well-mannered. Reinhardt was a gentleman, but had no sense of appropriate volume.

"Hello, Genji. I do apologize for the wait, Mr. Wilhelm is quite talkative. Shall we get started?" She asked. Genji nodded his head and Angela gently unwrapped the scarf from around the man's scarred face. She inspected the hypertrophic scars with latex gloves on her hands.

"How has the hypersensitivity and itching been been?" She questioned, prodding lightly at the hardened tissue.

Genji's eyes shut as she inspected his face. "No better or worse than last time I was here. I suppose that's a good thing that it hasn't gotten worse."

"Yes, but there are more options that we can try, if you'd like. Have you been having Mr. Zenyatta apply the cream thoroughly to your skin twice a day?" She stepped away for a moment to let the man speak before she continued. Mr. Zenyatta was Genji's caretaker. He made certain that Genji had company, and that he took care of himself, as well as assisted with treatment of his injuries.

"Yes. He is happy to help. I am grateful for his companionship." Genji now opened his eyes.

"Alright. So would you like to perhaps change the method of treatment, or stay with the cream for now? I know it might be easier if you could apply or administer something yourself, instead of having Mr. Zenyatta administer the cream for you." Angela took a seat in her chair, typing a few things in on her computer.

"No, I'll stick with the cream for now." Decisive, as usual. Genji was never one to hesitate about answering questions. "And since I know you'll ask about the prosthetics next, I may as well report on how everything's working. I haven't had any issues since the last we spoke. I still occasionally have spasms, but it's unavoidable, as you said before. I haven't had any phantom pains, and I have been going about things as usual."

Angela laughed lightly, amused that he'd gotten the routine of their interaction down perfectly. "Yes, thank you for the information, Genji. I'm glad things are still working for you. Would you like help putting your scarf back on before we finish things up?"

"No thank you, I will do it." Genji slowly moved his bionic limbs, wrapping his scarf back around his face one motion at a time. It was a time-consuming process, but he'd grown to be an extremely patient man, and very adept with his prosthetics.

"Alright. Let me just mark a few things down, and you can get out of here. Thank you for coming." Angela continued to type onto the file on her computer for a few brief moments before standing up. She stood by while Genji slowly moved himself to stand up, before they both bowed once again.

"Have a wonderful night, Genji." Angela said in farewell, and Genji returned the sentiment before walking out the door and down the hall. Angela breathed a heavy sigh, quickly gathering up her things before heading down the hall herself. She waved a goodbye to the receptionist on her way out of the hospital, and went outside to the parking lot. She located her silver sedan with ease and got in, beginning her drive home. It was short and sweet, aside from the few choice words that slipped from her mouth when someone drove out in front of her.

When she arrived home, she parked beside Jack's old truck and got out of her vehicle before heading inside, empty coffee mug in hand. She entered her home and went to the kitchen, seeing Hana and Lucio sitting at the table, finishing up what appeared to be some complicated math homework.

She approached her adopted daughter and leaned down to give her a peck on the cheek. "Hello dear." She said, smiling sweetly at her precious child.

"Hi mom. How was work?" Hana asked as Angela went to the sink to wash out her coffee mug.

"Oh, the usual. Reinhardt stopped in today for an appointment. He's doing well." The mother replied. "And hello to you as well, Lucio. How has your day been, you two? Did school go alright?"

Lucio looked up from the worksheet he had been intensely scribbling on for the past few seconds. "Bah, it was boring as usual. Mr. Bastion gave us this crazy Algebra homework. Two pages, front and back, shown work and all. He can do it like a robot, but I can barely keep up."

Hana nodded her head in agreement. "His class is so hard. But we can get the work done most of the time."

Angela chuckled in amusement, setting her clean coffee mug on the counter. "That's good."

Jack entered the room, looking surprised to see Angela. "Home already?"

"Yes, Jack. Your sense of time is second to your sense in vehicles." The wife joked, turning around to look at her beloved. Jack walked over and gave Angela a small kiss on the lips, amused by the "eww" reaction they got from Hana.

"Ugh, get a room you two!" Hana complained, tossing a crumpled piece of paper jokingly at her father. Jack caught it before it could hit him, smirking.

"Well, you two may want to wear headphones while you play your video games..."

Hana promptly made another noise of disgust. "You wouldn't!"

Angela laughed, face reddened. She joined in on the humor. "Well, it's not like we haven't done that before."

Hana shook her head, covering her ears. "La la la! I can't hear you!"

Jack and Angela both laughed, Lucio awkwardly chuckling along. Hana unclasped her ears and started putting her homework away.

"You know, maybe instead of playing video games, Lucio and I will just go skating."

Lucio brightened at the idea. "That'd be awesome! We'd need a ride to the ice rink though."

Angela raised a hand slightly. "I'll drive you two, if that's what you'd like to do. I'll give some money as well, so you can buy food. I believe your skates are in the garage, Hana."

Jack pitched the crumpled piece of paper in the trash can. "Who knew that grossing out kid out could lead to them being physically active as opposed to playing video games. Strange how that works."

Hana stuck her tongue out at her father, who crossed his arms. "What, you aren't going to thank your mother for giving you a ride and money to go skating?"

"Of course I am!" Hana stood and walked over, hugging her mother tightly. "Thanks mom. You're the best."

"You're welcome, Hana. You and Lucio clean up your stuff from the table and put it where it belongs, then head to the car. Lucio, you have your skates, right?" Angela looked to the boy who had begun shoving his homework into a folder. He briefly looked into his backpack, shaking his head.

"Looks like I forgot them. My house is on the way to the rink from here, do you think we could stop by so I can grab them? Skate rentals are so expensive." He asked.

Angela nodded. "Yes, we can. I'll chat with your mother while we're there. Perhaps I can ease her into some leniency for the night. I know she can be quite strict with you going out."

Lucio's smiled faded a bit at the mention of his mother. "Yeah... You're pretty good at talking with her. Better than me, to be honest." He finished putting his things away in his backpack, and threw his empty can of Mountain Dew into the recycling bin next to the trash can. He stood up and slung his backpack over his shoulder, just as Hana did the same.

"I'm gonna put this in my room real quick, then I'll be back down." Hana said, walking out and hurrying up the stairs. Within a few minutes, the two teens were in the car, with Angela at the wheel. She drove them to Lucio's residence only a few minutes away.

To Lucio's chagrin, his mother was sitting out on the front porch, sipping at a cup of tea. Satya was a rigid woman, an architect for a property development company. Very formal and direct, and extremely OCD. Satya also suffered from autism. To what degree Angela wasn't certain. It certainly was mild, if that. But it was still present. Her son was... well, very much the opposite.

As Angela pulled into the driveway, Satya stood and set her tea cup aside, her pale blue dress hugging her curvy figure. Where Angela was petite, Satya certainly had twice as much. The doctor stepped out of her vehicle, along with Hana and Lucio, who quickly hustled inside past Satya's intimidating gaze.

Angela smiled. "Good evening, Satya. Enjoying some tea?"

Satya nodded. "Indeed I am. Has my son done his homework?"

Angela never enjoyed how Satya referred to Lucio as 'my son' more often than his actual name. It felt very impersonal. "He has." She replied. "I made certain of it. I was about to take them to the skating rink. They wanted to go there as opposed to playing video games."

Satya seemed mildly pleased. "Exercise is better than staring at a television screen. Do make certain that Lucio is home at a decent hour, Angela."

"You know I always do, Satya. Perhaps sometime soon we can get together and have a glass of wine? You must rarely get time to relax with a friend." Angela suggested. Satya smiled amusedly.

"I do suppose that would be nice. Are you busy tomorrow night, say, seven thirty? We could relax here in my home."

Angela shook her head. "No plans that I know of. So, it's a deal. Tomorrow I'll be over, seven thirty."

Satya clasped her hands together, gleaming with excitement for a moment. As much as she seemed like a difficult woman, she enjoyed being with people who could be polite and civil, and she did enjoy her wine though she'd never admit it.

Lucio and Hana soon came back out through the door, Hana scurring past Satya as if she were some kind of monster. Satya turned to her son, leaning down and whispering something in his ear, then kissing his cheek before standing up straight. Lucio looked shocked, then grinned. Angela's curiosity about what she told him was answered within moments.

"What?! Awesome!" He looked to Angela, straightening himself out in order to speak to her without seeming rude in front of his mother. "Angela, could I spend the night over at your place tomorrow with Hana?"

Angela raised her eyebrows in surprise, then looked to Satya, who simply smiled and nodded. "We have a lot to discuss tomorrow. It'd be best if these two were out of our hair, don't you agree?"

Angela couldn't beat that logic. So she sighed and nodded. "Alright, but this is going to give Jack a spike in blood pressure that'll take weeks to drop... But I know you two wouldn't do anything you wouldn't if one of us were watching, so I'll allow it. Jack will just have to deal with it."

Lucio grinned happily and pulled his mother into a tight hug. "Thanks mom! I'll see you tonight, let's get to skating!" The excited teenage boy hurried over to Angela's car, hopping in the backseat. Angela could practically hear him sharing the news of the plans with Hana.

The doctor smiled at Satya. "You're full of surprises. You know he loves you a lot, he just wants his freedom to express himself and be a normal teen."

"I'm aware." Satya replied. "I just want to keep him on the right track. He's a good son. I didn't give him up sixteen years ago when I had no money and was left a single mother. I wouldn't ever give him up, no matter our disagreements. Regardless, you should be going. Have a nice night, Angela."

Angela nodded her head. "You too, Satya." With that, she returned to the car, driving the ecstatic teens to the skate rink. Angela grabbed her purse from the passenger-side floor and gave the two $50 to split, then sent them off into the skate rink. She'd return around seven thirty, giving them plenty of time to skate and enjoy themselves.

When she returned home after dropping Hana and Lucio off, Jack was sitting on the couch waiting for his wife patiently. He smirked, handsome as ever in Angela's eyes, and pat the seat beside him.

"It's about time we have some decent time alone."

Angela's lips curled into a pleasant smile, walking over and sitting down at the left side of Jack, leaning her body against his, resting her head on his shoulder. Her left hand gently caressed his strong chest.

"I agree, Jack... It's nice to spend time with just you, even though the time will fly by."

Jack pressed his lips to Angela's temple, breathing a quiet sigh against her skin. "I'm nervous about Gabriel... It's all that I've been able to think about."

Angela nodded slightly. "I am too... I haven't forgotten what he's capable of."

"He wants someone to get in contact with Amelie... to see if she'll take him back, at least temporarily. I don't know if her mental health is sound enough to handle him... Last I knew she could barely handle herself."

Angela frowned slightly. "It isn't our job to make certain he has a place to stay when he gets out. Though... I suppose if he has somewhere to stay, it means less of a chance that he'd resort to violence against others. I'll see if I can get a hold of Amelie through patient records... I'm technically not supposed to go snooping around in patient files for personal business, but tomorrow if i have a moment, I'll see... The last thing I want is Gabriel showing up here like some kind of Grim Reaper again..."

The arm that Jack had wrapped around Angela's waist protectively pulled her tighter against him. "I won't let anything happen to this family again. I promise you that, Angela. Gabriel is never going to hurt us like he did before."


	2. Chapter 2

When Hana went into school the next morning, she sighed as she sat at her desk in her first class, feet throbbing. She had blisters on her ankles from her skates from the prior night. She had no clue how Lucio's feet were so tough. He never, ever got blisters. She awaited the arrival of her best friend, who came in a few moments later, joining Hana and sitting next to her.

"How're your feet holding up?" Lucio asked, the usual smile on his face.

Hana groaned. "Sore as hell. Track practice is gonna suck. Do you think Coach Oxton would give me the day off?"

Lucio shrugged his shoulders. "Couldn't tell ya. We'll see after school, I guess. Maybe you can stop by her office in the gym during lunch?"

Hana nodded her head. "I think that's what I'll do."

Classes went by as usual. Turning in homework, nearly falling asleep during boring lessons, and just getting through another general day, though with the added annoyance of blistered feet. During their lunch period, Hana got up from her table after eating her food and walked out of the cafeteria down a hall to the gymnasium door. She opened the door and entered, taking an immediate left to the door of a small office.

She knocked on the door before opening it, seeing her cheerful track coach sitting at her desk, talking on the phone.

"Yep, I'll see you after practice... Excuse me for a moment, a student came in." Lena placed the phone on hold and set it down, smiling.

"What brings you here, Hana?" She asked. Hana was always amazed by the petite woman's ever-positive attitude. There was no bringing her down, even in the face of disappointment, which Hana was sure she was about to bring.

"Well... I may have to take it easy at practice today. I have blisters on my feet from going to the skating rink last night. I hope that's okay..." Hana looked down sheepishly, hoping her coach would understand.

"Oh it's no problem, love. If you need a day or two to recover from them, it's fine. You work hard enough on a good day to make up for a few days of lost training, believe me. You can show up if you want, but you don't need to if you just want to head home after school." Lena smiled and stood up. "Do you have a bandage over the blisters, or some ointment to put on them to keep them clean? I know what a pain they can be, trust me."

"Um, no..."

"I'll grab you some, then." Lena scurried around her office, searching for the items she mentioned, then handed a small packet of antibiotic ointment over, as well as a few bandaids.

"Here you go, love. Put those on, and replace the bandages tonight sometime. Can't have my 2nd best track star getting an infection!" The coach pat her student's shoulder with a grin.

"Lucio's still got the best times, huh?" Hana laughed a bit. "You seem to be in a great mood, coach."

Lena grinned, cheeks tinting pink. "I'm in a very good mood actually. Don't tell anyone, but I've finally got a date. She actually called me just before you came in."

Hana gasped, beaming at her mentor. "Really? Aw, that's great news! Who is she? What's she like?"

Lena brought her pointer finger to her lips. "Shh, calm down, Hana. The whole world doesn't need to know I'm dating a woman." She giggled. "She's French. She has some problems, but she seems confident in herself. Apparently she's been through some bad relationships, but she wants to be with someone who's positive and who will be kind and understanding."

"Sounds like you're a good match for her. Do you think she's a good match for you?" Hana asked.

"I don't know. That's what dating is for." Lena winked an eye then leaned back in her chair. "You should get going back to lunch. I'm gonna finish up this phone call then head out to the track and get set up for practice."

Hana nodded her head. "I'll see you tomorrow, coach."

With that, Hana exited the office and went over to the bleachers, sitting down and taking off her shoes. She applied the ointment and bandaids to her blisters, then stuffed the supplies in her pocket before returning to the lunch room, plopping down in her seat next to Lucio.

"What'd coach say?" Lucio asked, turning his head to look at Hana.

"She said I can take the day off. I am so thankful to have a coach like her." Hana said with a sigh of relief.

"That's awesome. So are you gonna go straight home or stick around to watch practice?" Lucio mumbled, mouth half-full of food. He was polite enough to cover his mouth with a hand while he spoke.

"I think I'll head home... though that means walking." Hana cringed. "Maybe I'll stick around and get dad to pick us up."

Lucio chuckled. "Sounds good to me. Your dad is a cool guy... but, uh... about the whole Reyes thing... Your dad seemed pretty stiff on the subject."

Hana nodded her head in agreement. "He doesn't like the idea of him getting out of jail so soon... but there's not much we can do. It's scary, but... hopefully he'll have learned through ten years of prison that he can't get away with something like that... And he'll be watched even more closely nowadays. I'm hoping for the best."

-

Jack got up in the morning with the intention of seeking out Amelie Lacroix, to see if she was willing to take Gabriel back. He had a determination in his eyes, and his wife easily recognized it.

"Got a plan for the day, Jack?" Angela inquired as she put on her makeup in the mirror, glancing at Jack in the reflection as he got dressed, pulling a plain black t-shirt over his torso.

"I'm going to see if Amelie still lives where we last knew she did. To talk to her about Gabriel." Jack had no use in hiding his thoughts from her. She always found out in the end anyways. Hell, she'd discovered he was going to propose to her many days before he was even going to pop the question.

Angela paused for a moment and turned around, putting a hand on her hip. "It's been ten years, Jack, do you really think she lives in the same house? Especially with her illness? I can only imagine it got worse without Gabriel there to make sure she took her medications."

"Well, it's worth checking. If Gabriel can find someone worth staying with, that means it's less likely that we'll have to deal with him. And if Amelie has been taking her medications, she should be fine. You said it yourself, you saw her picking up her prescription a little while ago."

Angela nodded her head. "Yes, but with the side-effects I know those type of medications cause, there's no telling whether or not she's been motivated to take them. Some people find solace in mental illness, rather than taking medications and feeling physically ill."

"You know I understand that." Jack himself used to take anti-anxiety medications after he'd returned home from deployments. While they certainly helped his anxiety, they made him feel like shit. Sick to his stomach, and due to that, he didn't eat much. After switching around medications a few times, they found one that wasn't so harsh, and he took that until he felt he didn't need it anymore. He still had a bottle sitting around here somewhere, just in case his anxieties decided to come back.

"Just don't go on a wild goose chase after Amelie. It's Gabriel's problem to deal with, not ours." Angela reminded him. Jack nodded his head silently, finishing getting dressed.

"I'll see you when you get home from work, Angela." The gray-haired man hugged his wife and gave her a peck on the lips before heading out the bedroom door. He went down the stairs then turned and exited the front door. He the made his way to his truck, getting in and starting it up. It rumbled to life and brought a slight smile to Jack's face. It was satisfying to hear it start up, even with the daily use he put the old vehicle through.

He pulled out of the driveway and drove about ten minutes to a small, one-story house at the edge of town. It was nearby an old steel factory that was still in use making various niche steel parts. The owner of the factory was an old Swede, Torbjorn, who just refused to let his craft go to waste. Jack had met him before. Good guy, but a bit rough in conversation. Definitely a hard worker.

Jack parked in the driveway of the house, peering at the windows to see if any lights were on inside. It was daytime, however, so there was no guarantee that lights would be on even if someone was inside.

Getting out of his truck after shutting it off, Jack walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell, waiting patiently. Much to his surprise, the door opened to reveal Amelie, looking quite healthy. She looked to Jack with confusion.

"Bonjour, Morrison." She greeted, clasping her hands behind her back. "What brings you to my home?"

Jack sighed. "Can we go inside to talk?"

Amelie nodded her head. "Come in." She turned around and led him to her kitchen. She went about getting a coffee cup for herself from a cabinet. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Sure, thank you." The least Jack could do is be polite. He glance around the kitchen, noting the orange pill bottles lined up beside the kitchen sink. While Amelie went about preparing the French-pressed coffee, she spoke.

"This is about Gabriel, isn't it?" She asked without glancing at the older man at the table.

"Yes... He gets out in three months. He'll need a place to stay. The more quickly he finds a place to stay, the less likely he is to turn to crime to support himself." Jack explained, eyes still taking in the details of the room. It was clean, aside from the mail on one of the counters and a few dishes in the sink.

Amelie sighed. "I cut things off with him. Permanently. While he was a wonderful man when he wanted to be, I don't approve of what he did, and I don't feel he learned his lesson. I won't be taking him in again. I've got enough problems of my own to deal with, I don't need to deal with his." She prepared two cups of coffee, then turned and walked over to the table, setting one down in front of Jack. "Let it cool a few moments, it's quite hot." She warned.

Jack furrowed his brow in frustration, but he understood why she'd want Gabriel out of her life for good. "I don't think anyone wants Gabriel in their lives. He's dangerous. Volatile... You seem to be doing much better than you were ten years ago."

Amelie nodded her head. "I do what I can. I make clothes, and work in a department store. I sell the clothes online, and I manage to scrape by. Things have gotten better. My bipolarity is under control, as is the schizophrenia. I haven't had any episodes for... at least a year. It's hard sometimes. The pills are awful, they make me feel sick most days. But I'll take nausea over insanity."

Jack's expression softened and he took a sip of the coffee. It was dark and bitter, but he enjoyed it for what it was. Strong, good-quality brew.

"Do you think you'll ever have another lover?" He asked, making conversation with the woman. She was pleasant, though she hadn't always been that way. Her mental disorders used to make her very strange.

"Well, I've got quite the history with men. First with Gerard, then with Gabriel." Amelie laughed a little. "Maybe I should avoid people whose names start with the letter G. I actually have been talking to someone lately... A woman, by the name of Lena. She's the track and cross-country coach at the high school. She seems very sweet. Very positive. I think she's the kind of person I need in my life, and I've always been attracted to both sexes."

Jack sat up straight in surprise. "Lena Oxton? My daughter, Hana, is on the track team. One of the best. Lena is her coach."

Amelie smiled. "You must be proud of Hana. I remember seeing her when she was a young girl, back when I went with Gabriel to court for what happened. She must be growing up a lot."

"Yeah, it's kind of hard sometimes. Makes a man realize he's getting old when he's got a sixteen year old daughter. Her friend Lucio is staying the night at our place tonight... I like the kid, but he's a boy. Him and Hana are close. You understand what I'm getting at, it's what every father fears."

Amelie chuckled softly. "The day his daughter starts dating?"

"Exactly." Jack smiled amusedly. "Hana is a good girl though. I trust her to make good decisions."

"It's good that you trust your daughter. I know my parents never trusted me because of my conditions. My marriage to Gerard was against their will, but it was pleasant until he died. And then came the fling with Gabriel, and we know how that went. I really should have listened to them about him." Amelie shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well. C'est la vie."

"So how did you get in contact with Lena?" Jack was genuinely curious, and pleasantly surprised to see how well things were for Amelie.

"We actually met here. I was plucking weeds from my garden out front, and she was running. I was having a hard time because my medications had made me very fatigued. It was a hot day, so I was very exhausted... She noticed me struggling as she was running and came over. She offered to help with the weeds, and did that while I went inside to cool off. I came back out with a glass of water for her, and we talked while she finished pulling the weeds for me. She was very sweet and very nice... I think we both caught on to each other being available to date women." Amelie drifted off into thought for a moment. "I should call her and set up a date."

"You should. From what I know, she's a good woman." Jack encouraged, finishing his coffee then standing up. "I should get going. I wish you the best... if you need anything, let me know. I don't do much. I work part time security at the hospital. Just quick overnight shifts on the weekends. So during the week, I'm usually not busy."

"Thank you, Morrison. I'm sorry we couldn't figure out what to do about Gabriel. Will you be telling him that I'm not going to be his babysitter anymore?" Amelie inquired, looking up at the older man.

"I will. I don't think he'll like to hear it... and just in case he decides to show up in three months, I'd buy a gun, if you're allowed to." Jack advised. Amelie smiled.

"My father is a hunter. You think I don't own a gun, Morrison?" She looked back to her coffee, chuckling. "I will be fine."

"Alright, if you say so." Jack headed to the door. "Have a good day, Amelie." He exited and took a glance to his left at the garden. There were healthy vegetables growing in neatly arranged rows, devoid of weeds. Admirable.

The old soldier got back in his truck and sighed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his cell phone. He dialed the number for the prison, and was rerouted to the number for contacting prisoners. After confirming his identity to the officer who answered, he was allowed to talk to Gabriel.

 _"Jack, what news do you have for me?"_

So much for polite greetings.

"Nothing you want to hear, Gabriel. Amelie has moved on. She doesn't want anything to do with you anymore. In the past ten years she's really gotten better. Probably worried you'll compromise the situation. So you're on your own. I'm not gonna go hunting anyone down for you to find you a place to live. It's not my job to take care of you, and it never was."

The other side was silent for a few moments. _"Alright, Jack. Have it your way."_

There was a click on the end, then dial tone. Jack sighed and hung up his phone, shoving it back in his pocket. "Can't help everyone." He said to himself, shrugging his shoulders. Finally turning on his truck and heading back home.

-

Gabriel returned to his cell after the phone call with Jack, escorted by a guard as typical. He was a behaved prisoner, never threatened anyone unless they came at him first. Never started fights, never disobeyed. As far as the guards were concerned, he was just a guy who got desperate and made mistakes.

Other inmates hadn't really ever warmed up to Gabriel, even after ten years of him being incarcerated. He'd watched some guys come and go, and seen murderers get put in for life. That wasn't what he wanted. He'd spent enough time in this shithole.

He wanted out, no matter where he had to go. They'd give him a bus token on his way out the door in three months, and give him back the clothes he'd been incarcerated in. He'd never had any sentimental belongings, so he wasn't worried about getting anything back that he'd lost over the past ten years. He'd always been the kind of guy to let go of things before he got attached, but when someone did him wrong he'd never forget.

He wasn't going to hold a grudge against Jack though. He had every reason to hate Gabriel for what he did. Maybe there was someone else who could help him.

The hispanic man sat down on his bed and sighed, clasping his hands in front of his face, perching his elbows on his knees. It'd been a long ten years, and these last few months couldn't be dragging along any slower. 24 hours felt like an eternity. He wasn't allowed to have much in his lone cell. He had books, mostly, but rereading the same few hundred pages got very, very boring.

That evening, Gabriel lay down in his bed a bit early. Other inmates were still up and about, and one approached Gabriel's cell to chat.

"Hey Gabriel, sleepin' already?" The voice belonged to that of one Jesse McCree, a thief and resident cowboy of the jail.

"Yep. I'm losing my mind, I swear. The days keep getting longer the closer I get to getting out of here." Gabriel sat up and looked at the brunet man outside the steel bars.

"Three months, right?" Jesse leaned up against the bars.

Gabriel nodded. "Yeah. I won't have anywhere to go, but I'll figure something out. How'd your court date for your sentence reduction go?"

"Pretty good. I'll actually be gettin' out in five months now, instead of nine. I ain't complainin'. I talked to my boyfriend the other day. Gotta admit, I didn't expect him to want to stay with me through this shit." Jesse shrugged his shoulders. "Guess he just likes me that much."

"Hanzo's his name right? Lucky you. Amelie apparently doesn't want me to be around her anymore. Jack called and said that she moved on. I wonder to who, but it's not really my business. Not anymore at least." Gabriel sighed heavily and lay back down.

"Hey now, all hope's not lost. You get your act together on the outside, and you'll have yourself a woman in no time." The cowboy smirked. Admittedly, Gabriel was getting sick of hearing his accent.

"Alright, get out of here, McCree. Let me sleep." Gabriel raised a hand, waving off the other man. Jesse chuckled and continued walking to wherever he'd intended on going.

Staring at the ceiling, Gabriel's thoughts returned to the place they always did. What was he going to do to fix his life when he got out? What job would hire him? What living could he make? Who would he associate with? Half the city knew him as the guy who tried to kill Jack Morrison.

He'd figure it out eventually. He had another three months to come up with something.


	3. Chapter 3

After track practice, Hana having watched from the bleachers while Lena coached Lucio and the other teammates, the two friends walked to the front of the school where the pick-up and drop-off zone was located. Jack was waiting patiently in his truck for the two. They both got in and the father looked over his shoulder to Lucio in the back seat.

"Since you're staying the night at our place kiddo, I'll head over to your house so you can grab what you need." He said, turning his head back to the front and starting to drive.

Lucio nodded in agreement. "Sounds great, thanks!"

Jack did his usual half-smile, focusing on the drive. Hana admired her father. Always. He was so strong, even when Hana and her mother were weak. When Gabriel had assaulted them in their home, the man had done everything he could to keep Gabriel from hurting the two most important women in his life. While Hana would certainly never forget the terror of those moments she spent, cowering in her mom's arms, she would also never forget the incredible bravery the silver-haired father sitting beside her held.

"We need some music in here!" Hana exclaimed. There was a lot she liked about her father, but she couldn't like everything. One thing she disliked was the silence that her dad preferred to drive in. "Let's see..." The teen girl reached to the radio on the center console, pressing a few buttons, scanning throught the channels for a decent station to listen to. Settling on some pop, she leaned back in her seat, smiling. Despite her foot's irritating injury, this was going to be a good night. She was excited to have Lucio sleep over, and still could hardly believe that her father was okay with it. Maybe he was loosening up?

The drive to Lucio's home was fairly quiet, and when Jack pulled in the driveway, Satya was in the open garage, searching through a box of items. Lucio got out of the car, smiling and walking over to his mother. They talked briefly, before Lucio hurried inside. Satya walked over to the side of the truck and Jack rolled the window down, looking to the Indian woman.

"He did talk this over with you, right?" Jack asked.

Satya chuckled, nodding her head once. "Of course. I was the one to suggest that he stay with Hana for the night."

Jack raised a brow in surprise. "Oh? You must be feeling generous."

"Your wife in turn is coming over to my home tonight for wine." Satya crossed one arm over her chest, her other hand sitting under her chin, elbow propped on the horizontal arm. "So it will just be you and the kids tonight."

Jack was silent for a few moments before letting out an exasperated sigh. "There she goes again, making me babysit. Maybe I should just go over to Reinhardt's."

Hana chimed into the conversation. "Me and Lucio are old enough to take care of ourselves, you know. We aren't little kids. We don't need a babysitter."

Jack glanced to his daughter then to Lucio's mother. "It's up to you, Satya. Is it alright with you if I leave the kids alone at my place?"

Satya thought quietly until her son emerged from the house, then turned her eyes to Jack's. "Have fun with your friend, Jack. The children will be fine, I'm sure."

Jack smirked and nodded his head. "And you enjoy your wine."

Lucio walked up to his mother and gave her a hug before getting back into the truck. Satya waved a goodbye before turning and heading back into the garage. Jack once again turned to look over his shoulder at Lucio, though his eyes shifted between both teens as he spoke.

"It's just gonna be you two alone tonight. I expect both of you to be on your best behavior. Don't go crazy, and clean up after yourselves, alright? It's all I ask, just keep the place clean and don't break anything... I'm giving you both an opportunity to show how much you've matured. If tonight goes well... I might let you spend the night more often, Lucio. Got it?"

Hana and Lucio both nodded their heads, grinning as if every word he spoke had gone in one ear and out the other. The father sighed and put the truck in reverse, pulling out of the driveway and heading to his own home.

After Angela got off work, she drove home to discover than Hana and Lucio were there alone. The two were sitting on the couch in the living room, playing some fantasy video game on the console beneath the TV. Angela approached curiously.

"Where's you father, Hana?" She asked. Hana paused the game and looked to her mom.

"He went over to Reinhardt's. Satya said she doesn't mind Lucio and I being alone here for the night." The teen explained, with Lucio nodding his head affirmatively. While Angela felt a bit uneasy, she couldn't deny that the two were old enough to take care of themselves.

"Alright. Well, I'm going to relax a bit before I leave." With a smile, Angela sat on the couch beside Hana. "Can I watch?"

Hana grinned, unpausing the game. "Yeah! This game is about dragons and magic and stuff. It's really fun, and Lucio is a really good priest!"

Angela raised a brow. "Priest?"

"They're healers. Like doctors, but with magic!" Hana explained as she began playing. The mother nodded her head slowly.

"If Lucio is playing a Priest, what are you playing?" She looked over all of the markers and symbols on the screen, equally confused and fascinated. How Hana and Lucio could have all of this memorized was beyond her, and she was an M.D.!

"I'm playing a tank," Hana said simply, before elaborating when she realized her mother wouldn't understand. "My character soaks up damage so that everyone else can live, and keeps enemies distracted. But I can also do a lot of damage if they don't deal with me. It's pretty OP in this game."

Angela understood that role a little more. It made a bit more sense than a priest using magic to heal wounds. Dress a knight up in enough armor and he'll cause a big problem.

"What's OP?"

Hana giggled. "Overpowered, mom. It means they give a pretty big advantage that unbalances the game and is hard to deal with."

Lucio piped in. "And with a healer constantly keeping them alive, the tank's pretty unstoppable so long as that healer doesn't die."

"Okay... I think that makes sense. I've never played video games in my life, so all this terminology is beyond me." Angela shrugged her shoulders.

Lucio grinned. "Hey Hana, how about we hook up a third controller and let your mom play?"

Hanna glanced to Lucio, then to her mother, reaching under the coffee table and retrieving a third controller. She pressed a buton on the center, then handed it over. It felt odd in Angela's hands; why was it such a strange shape? Hana held up her hands, showing her how to hold it.

"Okay, look at the buttons on the right. Those are your abilities. You'll learn those as we go. You move with the control sticks. Don't worry about the other buttons for now, we'll teach you those." She explained. Angela felt a bit overwhelmed, looking down at the controller to orient herself with the labels on the buttons. At least the control sticks were simple enough to memorize.

"Now press the start button in the center to join the game." Hana instructed, Angela taking a second but finding the start button and pressing it. A character popped up on screen, virtually naked aside from nude-colored undergarments.

"Why is she not wearing anything?" She asked curiously. Hana laughed.

"Because you have to put armor on her! But first, you have to pick a class. Just pick whichever one you want, and we'll teach you." The girl encouraged, showing her how to scroll through and where all of the important information was.

Angela wound up creating a Mage, specializing in fire spells. A DPS, as Hana had explained. After clothing her mage in the proper robes, they set out to play the game. And while Angela died quite a few times, she started to get the hang of it, even earning a few kills with the help of her daughter and Lucio.

After almost two hours of playing, Angela glanced at the clock on the wall and smiled. "Alright, that's enough for me, I need to change clothes and get going." She set the controller aside and stood up.

Hana paused the game and grinned at her parent. "Fun, right?"

Angela laughed quietly, nodding her head. "Yes, I have to admit. Thank you for letting me play."

Hana smiled sweetly. "Anytime, mom. Have fun at Satya's! Don't drink too much."

"If I do wind up drunk, I'll just stay at her place. Don't worry." The mother assured before heading upstairs. She changed out of her work clothes, putting on more casual jeans and a t-shirt. She threw on a cardigan and redid her makeup, then went on her way, leaving Lucio and Hana to fend for themselves for the night.

She drove over to Satya's, parking in the driveway. Per usual, Satya was out on her porch in her chair, glass of sangiovese red wine in hand. As Angela approached, the Indian woman smiled pleasantly and stood.

"Please, come in." She said, opening the front door and walking inside the beautiful home. Angela followed, enjoying the heavy scents of incense that drifted through the air.

"What incense are you burning today?" The doctor inquired as she kicked off her shoes beside the door, nudging them to be side by side as orderly as they could be. She knew Satya's OCD was targeted at just about anything that was out of alignment. Thus, everything in the woman's home was impeccably lined up. Angela could easily believe that her friend had taken a tape measure to all of the decor and furniture.

"Nagchampa here in the downstairs, linen upstairs." Satya answered as she guided Angela to the kitchen, where she retrieved a second wine glass and set it on the island counter. She then motioned to the wine rack tucked away inside a glass cabinet along the wall. The glass was perfectly clean, not a single finger print to be found. "Please, help yourself to a wine of your choice. I'm certain I'll have something you like."

Angela opened the cabinet, careful not to touch the surface of the door. She glanced over the selection of wine Satya had. It was mostly white wine of various types, as such was Satya's favorite, however there were a few rather expensive bottles of red wine. Dark and rich. They also happened to be Angela's preferred kind, though knowing the price of said wines, she was hesitant to select them.

Apparently, Satya could read her like a book.

"Don't worry if it's the more expensive wines, I purchased them to be drank, did I not?" She remarked. Angela glanced over her shoulder with a sheepish smile.

"I hardly ever buy wines so pricey, so I feel a little guilty." She sighed as she plucked a bottle of Shiraz from the rack. This bottle in particular was priced over one-hundred dollars. She turned around and went to the counter, pouring herself a glass then sitting down in one of the chairs, Satya sitting opposite of her.

"Ah, that is such a lovely wine. Very strong flavor. I drink it on cozy nights while I watch old movies." Satya commented before taking a sip of her drink.

Angela smiled. "I love wines like this. I was a little shocked to see you drinking a red wine yourself, considering white is your preference."

Satya nodded, snickering amusedly. "I felt the occasion called for something a little heavier than my usual." She paused for a moment, glancing to the side out the window to her back yard. "You know, I'm very glad to have you here, Angela. It is hard, still, to be alone. Lucio has always been around me so much, that now that he is becoming more and more independent I can't help but feel a little lost."

"Oh Satya..." Angela rested her head on her hand, propping her elbow on the counter. "I can't say that I know how you feel, since I still have my husband in my life, but Hana as well is growing more and more independent from her father and myself. It's nerve wracking. I just want to hold her in my arms and protect her always, but at some point we must let them go. I think tonight is not only a good test of their self-control, but as well of our own strength in letting our kids start to really grow up."

Satya nodded, though her expression was that of a woman deep in thought. "Lucio's dreams will not garner him much success for a long time. I worry for him. I would never abandon my only child, but... I wish there was a way that I could help him see that being a DJ alone will not earn him a living. Don't get me wrong, he is a talented young man, but... he needs something to fall back on. Something to sustain him while he does pursue his dream."

Angela hummed lightly in understanding. "I feel the same way with Hana. She plays video games on the internet, and other people watch her gameplay. Sometimes they even donate to her so that she can buy her own equipment. But that alone can't sustain her... She doesn't seem to be interested in much else other than video games, and I respect that. She's not like most girls her age. At least I never have to worry about what to buy her for her birthday. I just look and see what games she doesnt yet own, and see what ones are coming out, and nine times out of ten she's happy with it."

"Lucio is similar. I purchase new headphones or 'cool' equipment for him like speakers and such, and he appreciates every bit of it. I suppose I can't go wrong with technology." Satya shrugged her shoulders. "He also loves frogs, for some reason. I won't let him have a pet one, however. Material goods aren't everything though. Lucio sometimes expresses his emotions in ways that hurt me. He is very vocal. When I do something that he disagrees with, he doesn't hesitate in the slightest to oppose me. We've argued a lot, especially as of late. I wanted to show him that I do care, and that I want him to be happy. That's part of the reason I allowed this whole night to happen."

"Lucio really does love you, Satya. You've raised him alone from the day he was born. You've given all of yourself to allow your son a good childhood. And I'm certain he is happy. That boy is full of life every day that I see him." Angela reassured, reaching a hand over and grasping Satya's forearm comfortingly.

"I just wish that my husband had stayed... Certainly Lucio would be happier if he had a father in his life." Satya's eyes were distant in remembrance.

"Father or not, Satya, you can't change the past sixteen years of Lucio's life. All he's ever had is you to be there for him. There isn't a doubt in my mind that he appreciates everything you've done for him." Angela squeezed the arm in hand. "You are a wonderful mother to him. Don't feel bad because you couldn't do everything. Be happy that you could do what you have done."

Satya now turned her eyes to Angela, then shut them, nodding her head with a light hum. "Yes, you are right. I shouldn't be living so much in the past."

Angela smiled. "Precisely."

-

Meanwhile at Reinhardt's, Jack and his old comrade were sitting on the man's couch, steins full of beer in hand. The TV in front of them was playing the latest American football match, a sport the German of the two had come to enjoy due to its physical nature. European football was great and all, but it just got so boring so quickly.

Jack took a drink of his beer before talking. "Have you seen Ana lately?"

Reinhardt raised a brow curiously. "No, I haven't seen her. I think she may have gone back to Egypt. She always did like it there better than here."

"Somehow I get the feeling she's still here in the states, she's just secluding herself... After she got shot, she just wasn't the same woman, you know?" Jack stared into the foam that sat at the top of his beer, thinking on the last time he saw Ana. It'd been quite some time.

"Those Ranger instincts still kicking, Morrison?" Reinhardt chuckled. "Whatever she's doing, wherever she is, I'm confident she's fine."

Jack wasn't so sure, doubting his friend's confidence in the motherly woman's safety. "You know how much worse her PTSD got when we all came home. She felt she didn't fit in anywhere, not even with her own daughter. I'm worried about her."

Reinhardt was quiet for a moment. "Maybe we should go to Fareeha's apartment. See if she knows where her mother is. Now that you have me thinking on it, last time I saw Ana she seemed distraught."

The massive man's words concerned Jack greatly. A distraught Ana was an unpredictable one. "Yeah, I think we should. Old soldiers should keep an eye on each other, just like she had our backs."

"Agreed." Reinhardt used the arm of the couch to help stand himself up, groaning quietly. "This old dog really needs to take it easy, but I just can't. Not while Ana might be in danger."

Setting their steins on the table for retrieval when they returned, the two former soldiers slid their shoes on and walked out the door, both getting in Jack's truck. They drove down the quiet streets to the location of the apartment complex Fareeha Amari lived in. Thanks to Ana, the two veterans knew which apartment number was hers.

Reinhardt did the knocking, and Fareeha was quick to call from inside. "I'll be there in a second!"

Almost a whole minute later, Fareeha opened the door, dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a sports bra. Her hair was wet, telling easily that she'd just gotten out of the shower. Her face flushed brightly when she realized the two grown men at her door. "What the hell are you two doing here so late?"

Reinhardt's own face reddened in embarrassment. "Sorry to rush you. We were just concerned about your mother. Last I saw she was fairly distraught... I know she used to live with you, though that's probably not the case anymore."

Fareeha sighed. "I haven't seen her in almost two weeks. She's gone completely off the radar. I haven't filed a missing person's report, mostly because I know she can handle herself."

Jack furrowed his brow. "Despite the fact that you know she has troubles with her stress and anxiety?"

Fareeha nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm not heartless, Jack. I know her problems. But she's not some helpless old woman that you need to go searching for."

The silver-haired men both had the same astonishment and anger on their faces. Jack took a step forward. "We're going to search for her. Two weeks without contact to her own daughter is too long. You really don't know how bad her PTSD is, do you?"

Fareeha looked into Jack's eyes. "Listen here, _Commander Morrison,_ don't forget that I was the one who took her in when she couldn't live on her own. I looked into her one eye, comforting her when she needed me most. But I know damn well that she doesn't need someone to constantly watch her back. She made a habit of watching other people's backs instead. I am Ana's daughter. Do _not_ act like just because you were comrades in war means that you know her through and through."

Reinhardt placed a hand on Jack's shoulder, pulling him back. "I don't think she could help us find Ana, Jack. If it's been two weeks, she could be anywhere. Let's just start with locations we know Ana likes. The park, her favorite streets, places like that."

"I also like places that are _quiet._ " A voice spoke from behind the group. All three turned, and came face to face with the woman they'd been arguing about. Ana put her hands on her hips.

"What, a woman can't want some time alone?" She scoffed, stepping past Jack and Reinhardt. "Thank you for defending me, Fareeha, I do appreciate it. And you," She turned her eye to Jack, reaching and grabbing a hold of the man's shirt. "You ever step towards my daughter like that again and you will be trying to wash a bullseye from your back."

Jack stepped back and sighed. "Sorry, Ana. We were just worried. We know you struggle."

Ana's posture and expression softened, and she smiled. "I know. But I'm on medications now. It's much easier to deal with the anxiety, and I don't really have nightmares. I'll be staying with Fareeha again until I decide I need some other time alone."

Reinhardt scratched his head. "But where did you stay for the past two weeks?"

"Various places. Mother knows best. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to chat with my daughter." Ana now turned to Fareeha. "Now, back to you. What on earth are you doing answering the door half-naked? These men don't want to see your body! Jack is married!" She scolded. Fareeha groaned, starting to reply as the two entered the apartment, shutting the door behind them.

Reinhardt couldn't help but laugh. "Look at us, Jack! Going out on a search and rescue for someone who doesn't need it! Haha, let's just go back to my place and hope we didn't miss much of the game."

Jack sighed, smiling and shaking his head. Maybe they _had_ overreacted to the situation.

"Old habits die hard, I guess."


	4. Chapter 4

In the morning Hana awoke in her bed, groaning quietly as she sat up. She rubbed her eyes before opening them, looking to her side where a shirtless Lucio lay completely out cold. She didn't mind that he slept half-naked, but his snoring did certainly make it hard for her to get to sleep. While her dad would probably ground her if he saw that Lucio had been sleeping next to her, it's not like they'd done anything. She just didn't want him sleeping on the couch or on the floor, and her bed was more than big enough for two people.

Reaching over, she gently shook her friend's shoulder to rouse him from his slumber. The dark-skinned teen grumbled and shifted before reaching up to rub his face.

"Morning already...? Man..." Sitting up, Lucio stretched his arms above his head and yawned big. "Guess I should get up before your dad pops his head in and gets any crazy ideas, huh?" He joked, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed then standing up.

Hana scoffed. "Even if we were in a relationship, it shouldn't matter to him if we sleep together or not. He's such a helicopter parent sometimes."

Lucio wound up simply sitting on the floor beside the bed, grabbing the pillow he'd slept on and holding it to his chest. "Man, I'm still tired. We stayed up way too late doing your livestream last night."

Hana nodded her head, recalling the three-hour stream of playing a few games with Lucio. The viewers had loved it, and many of them thought the two were dating, but they were just good friends.

Lucio reached for his phone on the bedside table, humming to himself. "I swear, I'm about to fall back asleep... I'm so dead."

"Then sleep. Not like we have to get up to do anything." Hana shrugged her shoulders.

"But what about your parents?"

Another shrug. "They're harmless. Mom's probably too hungover to care, and dad's probably still asleep for now. I can't hear him in the kitchen, and I can't hear the living room TV."

Lucio clambered back up onto the bed, throwing the covers back over himself and tucking the pillow under his head. "Wake me up if you need me or if your dad's got a gun."

Hana smiled, patting the top of her friend's head before getting up and walking out of the room. She walked down the stairs as quietly as she could. Everything in the house was still dim, the sun just barely peeking over the horizon at this point. However, the teenage girl could make out the shape of a woman on the couch, undoubtably her mother. Poor woman hadn't even been able to make it to the bedroom before she'd passed out.

Slipping quietly into the kitchen, Hana rummaged around trying to find something to eat. The only thing they had was cereal, and the noise would undoubtedly wake her slumbering mother. The teenager sighed, shrugging her shoulders. At least it would get the hungover woman to move up to bed rather than remain on the couch.

Pouring herself a bowl of a fruity cereal, it only took a few moments for Hana to hear a groan from the living room and a thud of what was probably a knee hitting the coffee table.

 _"Scheiße..."_

A slouching blonde woman peered intot he dim kitchen, bags under her eyes and makeup smudged.

"Hana, what on earth are you doing up so early...?" Angela droned.

"Getting breakfast." Hana motioned to the bowl of cereal on the counter as she retrieved the milk from the fridge. "Lucio is still sleeping."

Angela rubbed a temple with one hand, an epiphanic and confused expression on her face. "Lucio is here? Damn, how much did I drink last night? You'd swear I wasn't Swiss with how lightweight I can be..."

Hana giggled quietly. "If this is how bad you are, I can't imagine how drunk Satya got."

Angela stared blankly into space, then rubbed her eyes and shook her head. "I don't remember anything that happened last night. I'm going to go lay back down upstairs..."

"Sleep well, mom. Don't forget to drink some water." Hana reminded, though she found it strange to be telling a doctor what to do concerning her health. Sometimes Angela could go into these wonderfully detailed medical talks and her daughter actually learned from them, though it was very minor things. How to help nausea, what to do about a cut, things like that.

It got Hana thinking about her future, as she sat and ate her cereal at the kitchen table, alone. She knew that video gaming was a great passion of hers, but she knew she needed other experiences. She'd always be a gamer and probably make her living off of it, but she wanted to be able to relate to those who watched her play. And to do that, she'd need to broaden her horizons and search for something many people had a connection to.

There was so much out there for her to choose from. She still had two years until she graduated, but her 17th birthday was coming up soon. It'd be great if she had a bit of money to spend, but even better if she could prove to her parents how mature she was to have a job while still in high school. No doubt it'd be tough, but she wasn't one to be lazy.

Hana was thinking so much, she didn't even notice her father enter the kitchen until he began rummaging through one of the cabinets for a bottle of medicine. Painkillers, probably for Angela.

"Mom wake you up?" The daughter asked, looking to the gruff man. Jack nodded his head, scratching at the stubble on his neck as he read the label on the bottle he was holding. After squinting to read it, he held it out to Hana.

"I can't read the damn thing, I'm too sleepy. Eyes are blurry. Is this the ibuprofin?" He asked. Hana nodded after glancing at the label. The print was small, since it was a generic brand, and as much as Jack would never admit it, he was getting old and his eyes weren't as good as they used to be.

"Yeah, you've got the right one. You sure you don't need to go to the optometrist? You've been having a lot of trouble reading small text lately." Hana remarked before eating a spoonful of her cereal.

Jack went quieter than usual and for a moment, Hana feared she'd pissed him off, but the man let out a resigned sigh and poured out two pills from the bottle.

"Yeah, maybe you're right... I'll talk to your mother about it. She probably knows a good optometrist to go to." He grumbled, setting the pills back in the cabinet. He then went about getting a glass of water, before going over to Hana. He leaned down and kissed his daughter's cheek.

"Love you, Hana."

It was one of those strange moments where Hana's dad showed a bit of warmheartedness, but with it came a sort of vulnerability that he preferred not to show. Hana always guessed it had to do with his sense of pride.

"Love you too, dad. Go get some more sleep." She urged, smiling sweetly at the older man, who simply nodded and went on his way, returning upstairs.

With her cereal finished, Hana got up and set the bowl in the dishwasher, before heading back upstairs to her room. Lucio was out cold already. A little bit of noise likely wouldn't wake him, so she sat at her desk and booted up her computer, browsing Youtube and Facebook to kill time.

-

"Hey Reyes, wake up and get dressed."

A cop ordered from outside Gabriel's cell, making the hispanic man sit up from his bed with a groan. Gabe swung his legs over the side of his bed and looked to the door where the guard stood.

"Your lawyer is here. Said he couldn't wait until later to speak with you. Sounds like good news if you ask me. Come on." The man opened up the cell door, pulling out a pair of handcuffs. It wasn't that Gabriel was considered dangerous anymore, it was more that they followed strict protocol in this prison. He hadn't had any bad behavior for the ten years he'd been here.

Gabe tossed on his orange jumpsuit then walked over to the door, holding out his wrists. Once he was cuffed with the familiar metal around his arms, he was escorted down the cell block to the telephone visitation area. Brought over to one of the booths, there sat his massive lawyer on the other side of the glass, a New Zealander named Mako Rutledge.

Funny thing about Mako; he used to be a criminal himself. Even served some time in jail, but avoided felony charges. He'd taken the experience and flipped it completely around to become a lawyer himself.

The same couldn't be said for Mako's partner in crime, Jamison Fawkes who was still in prison to this day on a domestic terrorism charge.

Picking up the phone, Gabriel looked through the glass at the other man, who grunted into the receiver.

"Hey." Mako rumbled in a deep baritone voice.

"Not like you to show up so early." Gabriel commented, recalling how his lawyer tended to prefer visiting in the midday or later.

"I know. But I have news for you. Got it yesterday but didn't have time to tell you." Mako moved the hand that had been sitting on his gut to the back of his head, adjusting the ponytail that held back his silver hair.

Gabriel could feel his heart pounding in his chest. "Well? What is it?"

"Two things. One, I've found someone who is willing to take you in."

"Who?"

"Do you remember your niece Sombra?"

Gabriel nodded his head. "Yeah, she was only a teenager when I got locked up. She agreed to come get me when I get out?"

Mako nodded his large head. "Yeah. She contacted me herself. Lives alone, has room for one more person. You alright with that?"

"Of course I am, Mako." Gabriel rested an arm on the table between them and leaned forward. "So what's the second part?"

"You're getting out of here early on parole. I talked with the judge, and the guards have reported that you've had good behavior for the entirety of your sentence." 

Gabriel's jaw dropped in shock, and he reached to cover his mouth, accidentally smacking the receiver of the phone, causing Mako to flinch from the sound assaulting his ear.

"Sorry about that, but, you're not kidding? How early? I've only got three months left."

Mako smirked. "Two weeks. You're getting out in two weeks, Gabriel."

Now came the tears. It felt like a damn dream come true. Sure, he'd had to serve nearly the entire ten year sentence, but to have two and a half months cut off of the sentence? Shit, they may as well have told him he won the lottery.

"Thank you so much, Mako. Thank you. I'm in your debt." Gabriel grinned at the man, unable to contain his happiness. Mako simply smiled and grunted.

"I actually have Sombra here to talk to you. Surprise." He said before setting the phone down and hoisting himself out of his seat, practically making the ground quake as he walked. The young woman in question now took Mako's place in the chair, smiling at her uncle as she took the phone and held it to her ear. Her outfit was... purple. Very purple. Her clothes, the ends of the hair on half of her head, the shaved designs on the other side, even her nails were purple.

"Long time no see, uncle." Sombra had an accent, caused by her upbringing in Mexico. "Weird that I hardly know you but you're my only uncle."

"You've grown up." Gabe remarked, wiping the tears from his face. "It's good to see you, Sombra."

"Mom was wondering how her big brother Gabe was doing in America, so I checked up on things myself, since I live an hour away from here. Lucky you, huh? But yeah, I talked to your beefcake lawyer about you last month. I was ready to wait another three months but he called me earlier and told me he'd managed to get your sentence reduced. Good stuff, huh?"

Gabriel nodded. "He's a good hombre. What made you move to the US anyways? You lived in Mexico with my sister last I knew."

"I saved up money, immigrated, now I've got a job and I go to college. Still not a citizen, but that won't happen for a while. It was between moving here or getting sucked into Los Muertos. I didn't want to wind up some chola on the streets." She scoffed. "Don't get me wrong, some of those people were my amigos down south, but I've got bigger ambitions."

"What're you studying in college?" Gabe asked, raising a brow. "And where do you work?"

"I work in a tech shop in the town your buddy Morrison lives in. I mostly do repairs. Computers, cameras, stuff like that. I'm studying Computer Security and Cryptography, as well as Programming. It all kind of goes hand in hand."

Gabriel blinked a bit. "So did you move this close to the prison because of me? There must've been other reasons."

Sombra shrugged her shoulders. "You're my only family here in the states. Even if I had to wait to have you around, it would be worth it. You may be a felon, but you seem like a good guy to me. Just made a big mistake."

The inmate felt moved by his niece's sincerity. "You're right. I'm not a bad person, I just made bad choices. Thank you for having some faith in me, Sombra."

"Oh, and a word from mama. She'd kill me if I didn't tell you to go to church when you get out. You know how she is." Sombra laughed lightly. Gabriel recalled his sister's devout Catholicism and smiled.

"Yeah, I think that'd be a good thing for me to do, if nothing else." The man chuckled and leaned back in his chair. "If you talk to her anytime soon, tell her I said hola, alright?"

"Si, sure thing, Gabe. You don't mind if I call you Gabe, right?" Sombra smirked. While Gabriel wasn't fond of the shortened form of his name, he'd never been able to avoid it, so he shrugged his shoulders.

"Call me what you like, it doesn't matter much to me. I'm just happy to be getting out so much sooner."

Sombra glanced at the purple watch on her wrist and sighed. "Well, uncle, I have to get going to work. Looks like Mako already left." She said, glancing over her shoulder. "I'll talk to you soon, alright?"

"Okay, Sombra. Talk to you soon." With that, the two hung the phones back on the wall. Gabe stood up and walked back over to the cop, who smiled at him.

"Good news?" He asked. Gabriel nodded.

"Very much so. Getting out in two weeks on parole instead of three months, plus my niece is letting me live with her while I get back on my feet." He explained as they walked back through the corridors.

"That's good. Just stay out of trouble, alright? You seem pretty good at it." The cop nudged Gabriel arm as they walked and Gabriel grinned.

"You won't ever be seeing me around here again come two weeks from today. I can promise you that."

-

As the day went on, Jack found himself outside, tucked under the hood of his truck, tightening some bolts here and there, adjusting some hoses, and checking fluids. It hadn't been running as smooth as usual, and he knew he could fix it himself, if he could just see the measurement notches on the motor oil tank... The lines just seemed to blur into the container.

He hadn't actually talked to Angela about seeing an optometrist like he said he would. He'd simply given his wife the painkillers she'd requested, lay down for a few more hours, then came out to tinker.

Jack knew he'd been in need of glasses for a while, but damn it, he just didn't want to accept the fact that he was getting old. He hadn't been an expert marksman in his military days just to decay into some geezer with glasses. Next thing to go would be his back and he'd wind up like Reinhardt, hardly able to bend over to tie his own shoes.

Sighing heavily, Jack tossed a wrench back into the toolbox on the ground, probably a little harder than need be, the loud clang seeming to echo off of the walls of the quiet suburban houses.

The sound reminded him of gunfire, the sound he was so used to. Or at least, he used to be. There was a lot less gunfire in a nice place like this. He felt like he'd lived such a cushy life since he'd gotten out of the service. The only thing that had happened to make things uncomfortable had been the assault, and that was ten years ago. He'd seen war at its worst, and now that he was facing the hardship of aging, it felt so damn petty to be upset about it.

He'd seen dead children on the side of a road, abandoned with no hope for burial. He'd seen soldiers with legs blown off, he'd seen civilians with bullets through their skulls. And _this?_ Losing his perfect eyesight was what was bothering him the most now?

It just didn't feel right.

Glancing over his shoulder as he heard the front door to the house open, he watched as Angela emerged, hardly looking hungover. She was wearing a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, with her hair pulled back as usual. She just looked a little tired, but otherwise there was no evidence she'd even been drinking the prior night.

"Is there something you want to talk about?" She asked, walking out onto the driveway barefooted.

Jack sighed. "Were you watching me?"

"Just out the living room window. You seemed angry all of the sudden so I wanted to see if there was something on your mind." Angela leaned against the bumper of the truck, crossing her arms loosely over her chest.

Jack looked down, hands on his hips, shaking his head slightly. "My eyes are going bad, Angela. I can't read small words or even see the notches on the motor oil tank... Small details just blur into each other. Never imagined the day I'd start to feel as old as I am."

Angela smiled, tilting her head, eyes focused on her husband. "We have a sixteen year old daughter, Jack. We're getting old. Not just you, but me too."

Jack chuckled, smiling at her. "You hardly look a day over thirty, Angie."

"Oh you." Angela waved her hand in dismissal of the compliment. "We've been married so long and you still flirt like we've just met. You've hardly changed a bit."

"That's comforting to know, but I do like to think I've grown to be a good husband to you." Jack leaned against the bumper as well, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders. "I don't think I really took it seriously in the beginning."

"You took it serious enough to adopt a child, Jack. I think you've done amazing as a husband, and a father. You're doubting yourself too much lately." Angela rested her head against Jack's shoulder. "I'll see about scheduling an appointment with an optometrist for you sometime soon, alright? We could get you contacts, if you're worried about looking dorky."

"Dorky? Me?" Jack raised a brow. "I just don't fancy looking old."

"I suppose it depends on the style of glasses... Not like you have to get some old-timer magnifying glasses." She giggled. "Those would look very silly on you. You just need something to help you read the small stuff. Something simple, easy to wear."

"Yeah... I guess I'll just have to talk to the doc about it. Benefits of glasses versus contacts, all that jazz." Jack reached up to run a hand through his gray hair. "What do you say we go out to dinner tonight, just you and me?"

"What will Hana do?" Angela asked.

"I don't know, see if Satya will let Lucio over again or something. We could order a pizza for them. I just want to spend decent time with you. It feels like you never have a day off."

Angela smiled warmly. "Sounds good. Liucio went home not that long ago, hopefully he'll want to hang out with Hana more. He's a nice kid."

Jack nodded his head in agreement. "Do you think... well, that they'll start dating?"

"Dating?" The blonde woman seemed a little surprised by the question. "Well, that's up to them. Hana is sixteen, going on seventeen soon. I wouldn't be surprised if she started dabbling in relationships... and with how close her and Lucio are, I wouldn't be surprised if they started with each other. I think it'd be okay. Lucio is a good kid. Eccentric and colorful, but those things can sometimes be good. Satya and I had quite the conversation last night about her son... of course, I can only remember half of it."

Jack laughed, then kissed his beloved's cheek. "You haven't changed a bit since we met either. As lightweight as always."

Angela moved to stand in front of her husband. "You would know, wouldn't you?" She placed a hand on his cheek, smiling up at him. "Always buying me expensive wine for holidays."

"Well, it's one thing I know you won't return to the store if I buy you it." Jack grinned. "You can't say no to a good cabernet."

"And you can't say no to any beer Reinhardt tosses your way." She retorted, poking a finger at his chest. "Did you enjoy the time you spent with him?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah, funny story. We were watching football and drinking beer, then we got to talking about Ana and wound up going out searching for her. We got worried. Went over to Fareeha's. Got into an argument with her, then Ana popped up out of nowhere and shut us all up like she usually does."

"And was this drunk or...?"

"Completely sober." The grizzled man chuckled. "You know how I get when I'm drunk."

"Right, you pass out on the lawn with no pants on."

Jack rolled his eyes. "That was one time."

"And the drunkest I'd ever seen you. Two cases of beer down and you lose it." She laughed. "Don't look so grumpy, you know I pass out wherever I get comfortable when I'm drunk. I usualy wind up on furniture though."

"I guess grass is a bed if you're drunk enough." The husband wrapped his arms around Angela's waist, smiling handsomely. "I've got to finish this up, then maybe we could watch some TV together until later when we go to dinner."

"Sounds like a plan to me, Jack."


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: Apologies for the wait! My job has me quite busy, and I write when I can but it's been slow going. Hope everyone's enjoying all the twists, turns, and oddities of this story!

-

Hana spent quite a lot of time thinking to herself that day. There wasn't necessarily anything wrong, but she had a lot to think about. She'd be turning seventeen soon, and needed to think of what she wanted to do. Come her senior year of high school, she'd really need to focus on what she wanted to do after high school. College seemed like a good idea. It's not like she couldn't get a scholarship or a grant to pay for it, not to mention her mom had been saving money since before her and Jack even decided to adopt.

She was a damn good student, without a doubt. She had straight A's most of the time, and had been taking Spanish the past 3 years and she was getting pretty good at it. She could hold conversation with fluent speakers, only having to ask for clarification occasionally. Maybe she could go to Mexico, or Spain someday for a vacation.

Hana wouldn't go to college for Spanish studies, though. Maybe she could go for something to do with computers, since she had built hers mostly from scratch, and knew how to take it apart and rebuild it without hesitation. She did really enjoy gaming, seeing as she ran a very active RTS stream online. But how long would that sustain her? It was the same dilemma Lucio had; how long would her passions sustain her for a living? Unless she became professional and got sponsors, she'd rely solely on her fans. Paid promotions too. She'd already done a few of those on her streams, playing in-development games. Usually they weren't too bad.

But there were other things she was interested in too. One that she was particularly thinking very hard on was joining the military. She'd seen pictures of her dad in the service, seen him don his old uniform for ceremonies, heard him talk about his deployments and combat. Of course, he avoided talking about the more graphic details, but Hana understood.

She wasn't necessarily a patriotic person, but she wanted to help people. Wanted to be the best person she could be. At least in the military, a lot of training could carry over into civilian life. Not every military job has to do with combat. Anything one could do in civilian life, one could do in the military, with the added bonus of being a step above your average citizen. But, with the downside of not getting paid half as much. Jack always remarked on how little he'd been paid for how much he'd given up, but he figured things balanced out somehow. Hana figured, at the very least she could talk with a recruiter and see what she could do.

"Hana?"

The girl's mother snapped her attention away from her thoughts, and Hana realized that she'd been staring at an ended Youtube video for what must've been at least ten minutes. She turned her head to the door, blinking a bit. Lucio had left a little while ago, having been picked up by an excessively hungover Satya.

"Yeah mom? What's up?"

Angela stood leaned against the doorframe, a concerned look on her face. "I've been standing here for five minutes and you didn't look away from that screen once. Hardly blinked. Your father and I were going to go to dinner tonight, perhaps you and Lucio could hang out again. But... before we decide on that, why don't you tell me what's on your mind? You're usually not so spaced out."

Hana looked down a little, then returned her gaze to her mother. "Can you shut the door behind you?"

Angela nodded, walking into the room and shutting the door. She then went over to the bed and sat down, turning towards her daughter. "So, what's got you bothered?"

"It's not even that I'm bothered." Hana sighed. "I've just got so many things on my mind. I have so much that I like to do, and so much that I want to do, I'm just trying to think of what to do with my near future. Once high school is over, I need to make some big decisions. Hell, I may need to make them during my senior year."

"You're talking about careers, right?"

"Yup. And I just can't decide what to focus on, you know? How did you do it? How did you decide to be a doctor?"

Angela paused for a moment, before smiling sadly. "Both my parents died when I was young. I wanted to learn how to prevent deaths. To save lives from tragedy. It only takes one mistake to end a life. But it can also take one set of skilled hands to save a life too." The blonde woman looked down at her hands, wiggling her fingers then smiling more brightly at her child.

"I started off working in a nursing home when I got an STNA certification. Then I became a Registered Nurse. I worked in an ER for a few years, and I enjoyed that but I didn't feel like it was enough. So, I continued my education. When I first became a doctor, I worked in the same hospital I work in now, but on the floor, doing critical care. After a while, my body just couldn't keep up. I was having more aches and pains than Jack was, and I wasn't even a soldier. So, I settled down into my office and now I do routine checkups and diagnostics, doing more... prevantative measures. It all depends on where you draw your inspiration from. For me, it was my parents. What about you? Where do you get your inspiration?"

Hana thought quietly for a moment, ruminating on her mom's words.

"Well... A lot of places. I'm inspired by the games I play to delve more into computer technology. I'm inspired by you to want to help people. I'm inspired by dad to serve. By Lucio to enjoy life and laugh a lot. By so many people around me. Even what Gabriel did to us, I find inspiration in that. I want to protect the ones I love."

Angela stood up and walked over, kneeling down in front of her daughter, gently grasping the teenager's hands in her own.

"You sound just like your father, you know that? I think you should look into the military... Jack always tells his war stories. But not every soldier goes to war, and not every soldier is meant for combat. You could enlist, learn the things you need to thrive, and enjoy your life. Plus, you don't have to serve more than 4 years if you do go into the service... Look into it, okay? But also know that there are many other things you could do, and that I will support you no matter what you choose. And I know your father will do the same."

Hana smiled and nodded her head, leaning forward and hugging the woman tightly. "Thanks mom. I love you."

"I love you too, Hana." Angela wrapped her arms around Hana gently, then kissed the girl's cheek. "Take all the time you need to mull things over. Making decisions as big as this is tough, I know. But you'll be relieved once you know you've made the choice."

-

That night, the prison was quiet. For once, Gabriel noticed it. He'd been here ten years. A whole part of his life spent wasting away behind metal bars, sleeping on an uncomfortable bed, listening to the talking of other prisoners, hearing the shouts of conflict echoing off the concrete walls. He'd made some friends in this cold place, and a part of him would miss the lack of responsibility he had. He didn't have to pay for anything, didn't have to worry how other people saw him.

Then again, it was responsibility for his actions that put him here. Outside of this prison, he'd be trying to survive with a target on his back. Not many companies hired criminals. Not many people would trust him, especially if they remembered his face plastered on the news. His looks hadn't changed; maybe a scar or two and some extra wrinkles in his face, but he still had the same hair, same goatee.

Standing up from his bed, Gabriel looked in the mirror on the wall in his dark cell, the dim light from the window barely illuminating his face.

He felt... regretful. He'd once been a proud man. In his younger days, he'd been a soldier, and a damn good one at that. That's how he'd known Jack Morrison. They'd very briefly served together, but Gabriel had left Morrison's unit for a different one shortly after they'd seen combat together.

And when he got out of the service, Gabe struggled with post-combat stress, keeping him out of a job, and out of his damn mind. He was poor, frail, and desperate. That's what led him to assault Jack. They were two sides of the same coin, only one was successful and happy, while the other suffered and lost everything. He'd been reluctant to get treatment, and it had only made things worse.

Gabriel couldn't even remember what his exact motive had been. He'd gone into the house with a knife in hand, and started rummaging around before Jack stopped him. Maybe it'd been to steal from him. Maybe not. The only thing that mattered was that he'd gotten caught in the end, and was sentenced behind these bars.

Now in two weeks he'd be getting out. It was so hard to believe. So much time spent behind bars felt like a lifetime, each day ticking away like an eternity, and it was coming to an end very soon. He hoped that Sombra would give him time to adjust while they were living together. It'd take time to find a job for a felon.

He found himself thinking of Amelie, and how their relationship had been. He regretted the way things went. Off and on, in and out of love, not knowing whether to care or not about each other. They had both been too screwed up in the head to function properly in an intimate relationship, but at the time, they'd depended on each other for emotional support. And he wasn't going to lie, sex had been a big part of why they had been together.

Gabriel wondered if he'd ever find a relationship beyond these walls. It wasn't a priority, but at the same time, he didn't want to be alone. He could barely remember the feeling of a warm body beside him, but he clung to memories like that. They helped him sleep at night on this old, uncomfortable prison cot.

Laying back down on his bed, he breathed a heavy sigh, staring up at the blank ceiling, hoping for a quick two weeks. As difficult as it would be, he wanted to be a free man again. He wanted to live as normal a life as he could, and leave his past mistakes behind him.

All in due time.

-

Angela had picked where her and Jack were going for their dinner date, because he didn't care where they went as long as there was steak, and she just wanted decent wine with her meal. So, they went to classy local restaurant called the Hot House. It was a rather large establishment, but tonight it wasn't super busy. Jack, dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, was ever the gentleman as they entered the building, holding the door for his wife.

The doctor smiled, high heels clacking on the tiled floor of the waiting area as they approached the host, who greeted them with a smile.

"For two?" She asked.

"Yep." Jack replied as simply as possible. The hostess gathered the menus and silverware, then led the way to an empty table by the windows. Not like there was much of a view aside from the parked cars outside, but it was still nice.

After ordering their drinks, Angela looked over the menu with a questioning hum while playing with a button on her blouse absentmindedly, indecisive on what food to pick. Jack already knew what he wanted, and slid his menu towards the end of the table for the waitress to pick up when she came back.

"You and Hana had a chat today, huh?" He asked out of the blue. Angela glanced up, blinking in surprise.

"Yes. I'm guessing you heard?"

Jack nodded his head. "I could hear you two talking but couldn't make out what you were saying. Anything concerning, or...?"

"Hana's just stressing about what she's going to do after high school." The blonde woman answered, crossing one leg over the other beneath the table. "She asked me how I figured out what I wanted to do. You know the story. I told her it, but I also assured her that she could do whatever she wants and you and I will always support her. Unsurprisingly, she's had some thoughts about joining the military."

Jack's eyebrows raised in response to those words. "Really now? I didn't take her as one to want to go through that kind of lifestyle change. She seems content with her computer games and whatnot."

"We didn't really talk too in-depth about it, but maybe you should talk to her tonight if you get the chance. She's having Lucio over again, so unless you want to interrupt them, I don't think that'll happen." Angela shrugged her shoulders. "And she doesn't have to go in active duty like you. She could join the National Guard and be a part-timer. That way she could enjoy civilian life while still being a soldier."

Jack brought a hand to his chin, rubbing it in contemplation. "I suppose you're right. I'll talk to her about it when I can. I wouldn't want to interrupt her and Lucio. Those two are two peas in a pod. Makes me wonder if they'll wind up dating. Or if they already are."

"We talked about this earlier today, Jack." Angela giggled lightly. "I don't care if they do or even if they currently are. Lucio is a good young man. He certainly values Hana's friendship and makes her happy."

Jack smiled, shrugging. "I admire the kid, even if he is a little to exciteable. I just want Hana to be happy with whatever she does, and whoever she does."

Angela couldn't help but laugh at the last bit. "Jack! That was a little inappropriate for dinner conversation, don't you think?"

The husband merely laughed and shook his head. "You act like you've never said worse, miss 'I'd ride-'"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Jack." Angela tried to be serious, but she was smiling, face bright red. She [i]had[/i] said some... questionable things in the past when out to dinner. Mostly when she'd had too much wine.

-

The dinner went by all-too quickly, Jack and Angela having quite a good time together. It wasn't every day that they had time to spend with one another, especially quality time like this. Date nights were few and far between.

As Jack drove them home, Angela started nodding off in the passenger seat, tired from the day and from the alcohol in her system. The car's cushions were quite comfy, and it certainly wasn't the first time she'd fallen asleep on the way home.

Jack simply let the woman doze off, and when they arrived home, he got out and rounded the car to the passenger side. The tipsy woman was virtually deadweight in the seat, ad it'd just be easier to carry her than to wake her up and have her walk on her own, especially in a pair of heels.

Undoing the woman's seatbelt and pulling her into his arms, Jack made his way to the front door ad managed to open it with a combination of a hand turning the knob and a foot kicking the door open. Nudging it shut as he entered, the man could already hear Hana and Lucio upstairs talking. No matter. Angela was a heavy sleeper.

Bringing her upstairs, Jack peeked into the open door of Hana's room and smiled. Lucio and Hana were sitting at her desk, doing something on the computer, griing and chatting. Lucio waved to Jack.

"She fell asleep in the car again, huh? We'll be quieter, promise!"

Hana nodded in agreement. "How was the steak, dad?"

"It was great. You two have fun now. Can you shut your door?" Jack requested, before moving on to the master bedroom. He heard Hana's door shut a few seconds later.

Laying Angela on the bed, he reached down to her feet and tugged off the strappy heels she loved to wear. They made her legs look great, that was for sure. He sat there for a moment, admiring the beauty of his sleeping wife. He blonde hair was messy, her clothes were disheveled, but he didn't care one bit. This was the woman he loved.

Pulling a blanket over her body, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to Angela's forehead before getting up, deciding to watch some TV downstairs to finish his night.

It had definitely been a good time, even if it had been just a simple dinner date. After all, he'd gotten a steak in him.


End file.
